Tuesday, 11 March 2014 00:00
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Dilan and Sajaad get five podiums for Mobil powered teamEZY Racer Sajaad Zuhair provided his team, their first victory on gravel for 2014, when he went on to complete back to back victories in the SLH 1600 and SLS 1500 race categories, as the Mobil Powered Black and Red team went on to win five podiums between their race drivers, in round II of the Sri Lanka Super Series organised by Carlton Motor Sports Club.
EZY Racing, whose new racing structure for 2014 will see them participating in the most iconic events in the country, went into this successful racing event with their 2014 circuit racing team comprising experienced Sajaad Zuhair and Dilan Seneviratne, who have provided the team with some great victories together.
The duo set the pace for the weekend when Zuhair qualified in pole position for the 1500 cc event and 2nd on the grid in the 1600 cc event, while team mate Seneviratne whose sole focus this year is the SLGT 3500 cc category, qualified 3rd on the grid during Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
Seneviratne gave EZY Racing a fine start during Sundays races when he grabbed the first podium position, finishing 3rd behind Ashan Silva and Ishraq Wahab in the 1st race in the SLT Class. Seneviratne’s desperate efforts to give the team a victory during race 2, was unfortunately stalled by a bad start when he slipped down to the 4th place right off the start line. Seneviratne nevertheless managed to drive well to secure 3rd place to give two podiums in his two events for the EZY Racing Team.
Zuhair in contrast was in a very aggressive mood as he was involved in a very intense dog fight with Damith Weerasinghe in the 1st race of the SLH 1600 cc , which was eventually won by the youngster. However in Race 2 of the SLH 1600, Zuhair put the prowess of the Mobil powered team to dominate the race as he went on to win uncontested.
Having tasted success Zuhair soon followed the win with another back to back victory, this time in his SLS 1500 cc, an event that he has dominated ever since he entered this class in October 2013.
“Dilan Seneviratne and I were determined to convert our strong qualifying results to victories this weekend. We are very pleased with what we have been able to achieve. In the (SLH) 1600 event, I had to keep the pressure on Damith Weerasinghe, as I knew I could be much faster if I could get in front of him. The dust did not help either and the only way to avoid the dust was to drive bumper to bumper. In the (SLH) 1600 race 2, I got the start that I wanted. In the first few laps I focused on putting a comfortable gap. However when I realised I had a considerable gap, I eased out. Overall, I am very happy about the result I have been able to deliver for the team,” said Zuhair after the race.
Commenting on his team’s performance, Initiator/CEO Shafraz Hamzadeen stated that winning on a podium position in every race they took part in, was a commendable effort from the teams stand point. “Both Sajaad and Dilan are very committed drivers. Unfortunately at Katukurunda last month we had some strong qualifying positions that could not be translated into race results. In that context the drivers and the team delivered a perfect weekend for us today”
EZY Racing, a subsidiary of EZY Holdings who recently celebrated 10 years of excellence in Sri Lanka, have redesigned their racing program where they intend on launching their EZY Racing Young Driver Program through a series of Karting Championships, designed to provide the perfect platform for youngsters to professionally take up motor racing.